"Each morning, should any of you fail to arrive here at this hour, all three of you will be eating plain boiled potatoes for the rest of the day."
I then added again.
"Trudy will be sure to inform your tardiness to the chief servant, Pavarin, which he will pass on to the chief cook, Pauline. That woman will do anything I say and make sure none of the cooks prepare you anything but plain boiled potatoes."
The three mages gaped at my explanation.
"Only p-potatoes?!"
"What kind of game is this?!"
"Should any of us arrived late?! Why can't just the one who is late suffer the punishment?!"
Ignoring their pleas, I turned to Trudy and gestured her to take over.
"Alright! Since it's your first day, let's start with something easy. 50 laps for each of you!"
The combat instructor declared to them.
"50 laps?!"
"This training yard is too big! I doubt I can even circle it once!"
"It'll take the entire day to complete the exercise!"
Upon their complaints, I spoke to them once more.
"Don't forget your sorcery lesson in the magic hall in two hours. If any of you are late for that session too, the three of you will be eating potatoes for the rest of the day."
The wildlings gasped.
They immediately started running around the training yard as if a goblin was chasing them.
No, an ogre.
Trudy smiled upon the sight of them exercising hard.
"Don't worry, Serafina. I'll make sure they are physically ready before master calls for them to the trials."
I nodded to her.
"Speaking of readying pupils, how about your own trainees? Any promising heroes from what you've seen so far?"
We then observed the first floor residents circuiting the huge training yard.
Trudy spoke as she eyed them one by one.
"There were a number of talented 2-stars summoned after we left for Damai. They're currently my top priorities. I intend to prepare them as candidates for the vacancies in Party 2."
"You only need to fill one vacancy. The 4-star, Yuxia, will be joining Party 2."
Trudy arched her eyebrows.
When I saw her nodding, I knew she had discerned my intentions behind the decision.
"How about the rest of the 3-stars? Do you already have an idea how to assign them?"
She asked.
"The latter parties would each have at least two 3-star heroes. Or that's what I plan for at least."
I gestured to the first floor trainees running in front of us and went on.
"You need to figure out who would fill the remaining spots in each party, Trudy."
The combat instructor nodded again.
"I will organize the trainees in groups of threes and twos from now on. That way they will have established a solid teamwork when they join a party."
"Don't forget the resistance skills. The 2-star who will join Party 2 needs to learn Fire Resistance since Yuxia uses fire magic just like me. Those who will join Matrias's will have to learn Lightning Resistance too."
"You think such skill exist?"
"It has to. At the very least, I will provide a way so that your students can learn to withstand lightning."
Indeed.
After what happened with Jyrgil, we could not just simply put capable heroes into the same party.
Their compatibility and teamwork had to be considered. Especially when an elemental mage was involved.
"Very well. Anything else you want me to do, Serafina?"
Trudy asked.
I nodded to her.
"Raise as many capable heroes as you can. We don't know what sort of challenge awaits us on the fifteenth floor. And I want the raid team to be ready."
I left the combat instructor with that 'order.
Now that Trudy was excluded from Party 1 and shouldered a new role, an important one at that, I expected her to fulfill her duty to the fullest.
We needed everyone's cooperation and full contribution if we wanted to reach the top of the tower. Everyone's.
As soon as I ascended to the second floor of the lobby, a dark-skinned boy and a girl with honey blonde hair welcomed me at the top of the stairway.
"Do you have a moment, Miss Serafina?"
Young Tarran politely asked.
You could never tell he was a fearsome fighter by the bright and innocent look on his face.
"Is something the matter with the gathering effort?"
I asked, turning my gaze to the chief gatherer, Harl, by the boy's side.
"It is related to it, Lady Zeref. But not quite as well."
The girl said with meek tone. She could never brought herself to call me just by my name.
I turned back to the archer boy.
According to the chief servant, Tarran was spending some time in the Weekday Dungeon yesterday.
It was not forbidden, but the boy had not return to the Weekday Dungeons ever since he was included in Party 2. He used most of his time training with his party comrades.
Harl would not need Tarran to report to me about the gathering activities. And the boy did not have any charge of managing the gatherer parties anymore.
So what was the matter?
The chief gatherer then went on.
"Recently a capable woman was summoned. She used to be the elder for a large farming village. Extremely knowledgeable in plants, produce, and game-hunting. Very experienced in managing as well. Her name is Serize."
I nodded, understanding her intention.
"You would like Serize to take over your place as chief gatherer?"
Harl immediately nodded back to me.
"If you'd allow it, my lady."
"Then what do you wish to do instead?"
I asked the girl.
She now turned to Tarran.
The boy spoke up in her stead.
"Sister Harl would like to join Party 2."
I raised my eyebrows in interest.
Indeed, Harl was also considered to join Party 2 prior our climb to the tenth floor.
She just lacked slightly in swordsmanship in comparison to the 1-star Luan, who was another prospective hero at the time.
I believed she stopped visiting the trials upon being chosen as the chief gatherer.
The last floor she climbed was the fourth floor with a makeshift party. She managed to reach level 5 if I was not mistaken.
Given she was close to Tarran, the two would definitely cooperate well together in battle.
They had been battling elemental stone guardians side by side when Tarran was the chief gatherer.
The two worked so well that Tarran entrusted his position to the girl.
From that fact alone, despite being a 1-star, Harl was worth any of the 2-stars Trudy was currently preparing as Party 2 candidates.
I doubted Zecht and Norn would have any problem working with Harl in that case.
I did not see any reason why she should not be included in Party 2.
If she joined the party, then all they needed to wait for was Yuxia.
I could definitely 'speed' the 4-star's lesson and training.
Party 2 might be able to resume visiting the trials and climbing in about a week.
"Have Zecht and Norn learned about this?"
I asked the boy.
He nodded strongly to me.
"They're eager for Harl to join! But they want to inform you of the decision first."
Then that was settled.
We had been trying to fill the vacancies in the raid team and now a suitable candidate just offered herself.
"Recommend Harl to master. As well as Serize's appointment as the new chief gatherer. And tell Trudy as well. She's currently training the 2-star newcomers for your party."
"Of course, Miss Serafina!"
Tarran replied cheerily. Harl joined him in his excitement.
Before I walked away, I spoke one last thing to them.
"By the way, Yuxia will be joining Party 2. He uses fire magic and the rest of you need to withstand being burned. Start trying to acquire the Fire Resistance skill from now on."
The pair's faces tensed after I said those words.
It was never pleasant to hear you would have to burn yourself intentionally. Repeatedly at that.
I then continued my way back to the third floor.
Once there, I dropped by the training ground where my party comrades were training in.
Jonah and Shanny were in the middle of dueling when I arrived. The pair stopped once they caught sight of me.
"What do you think of Arian and Devisha?"
I asked the two of them.
Having trained with the 3-star newcomers, they must had formed an opinion of some kind.
Shanny was the first who spoke up.
"Devisha is really skilled with her swords. Agile like a cat as well. I can already tell she's going to be much stronger than Trudy, at least."
She spoke the last bit in a regretting tone.
The woman might had accepted Trudy's exclusion from the party, but she was not that happy about it.
"She may be young, but Arian is just as capable as any Kutub hunter I have ever met. I believe she'll become much stronger than she is right now."
Jonah said in approving tone. He went on.
"The girl is fierce. Very light on her feet. And she knows how to use those ivory spear and dagger. I even learned some new things from dueling with her."
The two were heroes who were both equally capable in combat. Both were equally agile.
Our fifth member had to be someone flexible who could maneuver throughout the formation and aid whichever side required the most help.
Devisha and Arian could definitely take on such role.
But only one of them could join Party 1.
"Where are they right now?"
I asked.
"Arian is training with Zecht and Darius. Devisha is with Norn."
"They try to train separately ever since they learned they were competing for a spot in our party."
The two 3-stars were of the same level.
Unlike the mages, no matter how much they trained in the lobby, they would not improve significantly without levelling up in the trials.
We needed them to become stronger soon.
I nodded to my comrades and spoke.
"Tell Arian and Devisha that they would duel by the end of the day. The victor shall join Party 1."